Electronic mail includes the transmission of electronic messages over a local area network and also the transmission of messages over the Internet. An electronic message may be simple text messages containing only ASCII, or it may be a complex message containing electronic files such as images, sounds, spreadsheets, etc. Electronic mail is commonly referred to as “email”.
Typically, users receive email using some sort of email client. Many people use well-known stand alone clients like Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, or a client provided by their Internet service provider (ISP). No matter what type of client, an email client generally does at least three things. First, the client shows a list of all the messages in a user's mailbox. Second, the client enables a user to read his or her email messages. Third, the client lets a user create new messages and send them.
Generally, a home user accesses his or her electronic mail in two ways: broadband services (such as DSL, cable modems, and satellite Internet) or dial-up access. With broadband services, the computer is continuously connected to the Internet. In contrast, for dial-up access, a computer connects to the Internet with a temporary connection, generally over a telephone line using a modem. A great many Internet service providers (ISPs) provide to its customers broadband services and dial-up access to the Internet for a modest fee.
To receive and send mail, generally, an email client communicates with an email server via the Internet. Through this communication, a user generally checks his or her email several times a day. Accordingly, due to common usage patterns amongst users, there are certain peak times of the day, such as early morning and early evening (when people get home from work and connect to retrieve their emails) when an email server receives an abundance of email requests. During these peaks, a great strain is put on the email server to fulfill a large number of requests. Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.